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Age at marriage in Sri Lanka: stabilizing or declining?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

W. I. De Silva
W. I. De Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Demography, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Summary

Over the last four decades in Sri Lanka, age at first marriage for males increased marginally, and for females it rose considerably, but there has been no recent increase in female age at marriage. Among the younger cohorts, estimated ages at which some married indeed show a declining mean age at marriage. Coale-McNeil estimates indicate that there is no real decline in female age at marriage in Sri Lanka. Marriages were delayed as a result of economie hardship or increased mortality to the mid-1970s, but once the overall economy improved after 1977, more marriages took place. Female age at marriage in Sri Lanka remained slightly below 24 years, the age which is anticipated by younger cohorts, and this level is likely to persist for some time.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , October 1990 , pp. 395 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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